Honor Above All
by adriadewinter
Summary: Begins with Mulan returning home after the war in China and follows her throughout her travels as she meets Aurora and Phillip. With danger threatening Aurora, Mulan decides to protect her. Uses geography from real life based roughly on where the OUaT actors are from.
1. Chapter 1: Homecoming

**Disclaimer: So I don't own any OUaT characters, but I'd like to! **

**Also, if you think I'm doing something really cool, or you just think its crap (oh heavens no she is ruining that character) whatever send me a message or review—I'd love to hear from any of you! Thanks for reading!—Adria**

**Also I just edited these today, but I hope to get up a chapter every few days—EXCEPT during breaks or finals. **

Chapter 1: Homecoming

Home, finally I am going home. As I ride through the trees with the wind blowing through my hair, memories of my home flash before my mind's eye. Feng, my 6 year old brother, playing with our dog, him jumping me every morning wanting me to teach him how to shoot Father's bow, the joy on our parents faces the day he was born. I remember the day the soldiers came to order our Father to join the army. Feng stood by Father, supporting his weight on his little shoulder. How I wished it could have been me standing there, but from my post on the barn, I could see Feng shaking the strain was so great, but he never showed it on his face once. I'd never been so proud of him as that day.

He was the only person I told when I left to replace Father in the army. Figures it would be him, he never did sleep well, yet when I saw him standing there as I put on the armor I had expected him to run to Father to tell him what I was doing. Instead, he ran up to me and helped me put the armor on.

"Why are you taking Daddy's armor, Mulan? Can we train in it? Please, please, please?" He gave me his best puppy-dog smile to try to convince me—I swear he learned that from the neighbor's daughter. I shook my head sadly and kneeled down to talk to him at his own height.

"Feng, do you remember the soldiers that talked to Father today?" He nodded slowly. "Well, they are going to take him away to war to fight for the emperor unless I go in his place." His bottom lip began to tremble as he did his best to be brave and be a man like Father had taught him.

"But Mulan, you can't go to war! You're a girl; it's against the law! I should go in Daddy's place." His shoulders straightened as he stood as tall as he could. "I am the only other man in the family, so it's my place to protect Daddy."

I smiled at his bravery, but shook my head. "Feng you can't go either. If you go, no one will be here to protect the farm and Mother for Father."

"If they find out you're a girl though…"His lip started to tremble again and I patted him on the shoulder to reassure him.

"That is why you have to keep my secret, Feng. Go back to bed and tell no one you saw me leave, can you do that for me?" He nodded slowly and brushed his nose. "All-right then, back to bed with you now!"

He turned to go, and then ran back, gave me a hug, and said "Wait! I'll be right back! Don't leave yet." He ran to his room, stepping carefully to be quiet just as I'd taught him. He came back with his wrist cuffs, golden bracelets Father had given him to mark the birth of his only son. He offered them to me saying "Here, Mulan, take these with you. Daddy said they bring the wearer great honor and luck, and I want you to have them for me."

I smiled, knowing that Father had only said that to make him proud of them, but realizing they could be used to keep up my hair and pleased by his gesture I accepted them. "Thank you Feng! Remember while I'm gone take care of Mother and Father, and keep up your fighting, okay?" I stood and smiled at him then said with mock sternness, "Back to bed now and stay there this time."

He nodded, turned, and softly stepped back to his room.

I was passing rice fields now, and I saw the groups of women look up as I passed by. A few of the younger ones stood and waved, and I smirked a little remembering the women who had waved as I went off to war. True, I was still in my armor, so their mistake was understandable, and with the victory of the Chinese army, soldiers were honored everywhere. And yet I continued to keep up my deception of being a man. Even though the emperor had forgiven my crime of impersonating a soldier, Shang had recommended, for my homeward journey at least, that I keep up the pretense.

At first I thought it was ridiculous, as an honored woman I should be safe to travel, but at the first inn I stopped in on my way back, I heard men cursing my name. Most of the men were jealous, saying that had they been in my position they could have done far better than I at defeating the Huns, and a few expressed a desire to harm me as well as some other undesirable outcomes. Being disguised, I had to appear to agree with them, but later that night, I saw one of them looking at me too closely. He was about to speak out when I knocked him down, saying he had spat on my boots. The other men nodded and threw him outside. Since that night, I'd stayed out of inns on my journey, so there would be no chance of recognition, and I'd been grateful to Shang for his suggestion.

I passed by a farmer's hut and paused, considering the sinking sun ahead of me. I leapt from my horse, tied him to a post near the home's entrance, and knocked at the door to buy some food for the night. They sold me what they could spare, and I pressed on stopping to make camp a few hours later. As I rested I looked over the lands below me. Soon, within the next day even, I would be home, and I would see my family again. The thought comforted me, and I settled off to sleep thinking of everything I would tell Feng and my Father upon my return. Perhaps the matchmaker would think more fondly of me now. I smirked. Ha, after what I'd done, I doubted she would ever forgive me.

When the sun rose the next morning, my camp was already packed up, and I kneeled to the rising sun to pray for final blessings for my day's journey before mounting my horse and setting off. All the land I passed now was familiar territory. Here I had played as a child, there I had fallen into a well, and to the north I had broken my arm as I fell from the tree, and these thoughts comforted me in the silence as I rode onward.

When I saw the village gates, I removed my helmet and let my hair down. It had been hard to accept when I'd sheared it off before leaving for war, but with all the training and then battle, I'd never had time to cut it again, so it was nearly as long as before. I fiddled with Feng's bracelets—eager to be able to give them back to him, but almost missing the mementos I'd treasured for so long. Shang had mocked me many a time about my priority with keeping my hair nice, but I'd seen the approval in his eyes. He'd have liked a set like them for his own hair, even when he thought I was still a man.

I rode through the gates expecting greetings from the villagers I saw, but everyone looked away; not one of the citizens made eye contact with me. Inexplicably at this I felt fear and spurred my horse on toward my home.

Even my worst fears paled compared to what I saw when I reached my home. Nothing was left but rubble; the fields had been burned, my Father's cherry trees had been hacked down, the walls were breached in multiple places, and nothing was left of my home but ashes. I slid off my horse to my knees on the ground, and ashes rose up coating my armor in dust. Even the last 6 months of hiding my emotions could not prevent my tears from bursting through, and for the first time I unashamedly let the tears freely fall as I mourned my home.

Snap! Spinning quickly, I had my sword at the approaching person's neck and had forced them to the ground before I even saw who it was. Instantly upon recognizing my neighbor and her daughter I let go and helped her to her feet apologizing profusely for my actions.

"Bao Yu, I was startled by your approach, and I feared the worst. Please accept my sincerest apologies for harming or scaring you and your daughter. My actions do me dishonor." I began to bow, but she rushed forward and embraced me without letting me finish.

"Mulan, it is I and my family who are dishonored. My sons and husband were the ones who did this to your home." She kneeled, and continued. "Please forgive me for this terrible deed."

I looked down at her, my heart filling with rage, "Are any of my family yet alive?" She looked down and I could see her eyes fill with tears as she shook her head. I began to raise my sword, but looking at Mei, her daughter, I stopped, put it away, and lifted her up. "It was not your choice and you are not to blame. Please, tell me what happened."

She nodded and replied, "Of course, but we must not remain here. If the men see you, there will be more trouble." She led me into her garden and we sat down on a bench overlooking her pond. I found it ironic that even in the saddest hour of my life, the fish were swimming happily and I could still hear the birds singing. "Mei, please go play in your room for a while." Once Mei was out of sight Bao Yu turned to me and began.

"The first soldiers began to return from war a few weeks ago, my husband and sons among them. They all told this fantastic tale of how a girl, some 'Mulan' had posed as a man, saved the kingdom, and been honored by the emperor. They would have forgotten eventually, but your Father pressed it, and they all soon realized that the woman had been you. The town leader was able to calm them down that night, but I could tell they had not forgotten it, and my sons especially grew discontent, desiring the honor you and your family had been given for themselves.

One week ago, I heard my husband and sons rise late at night and went to the window. A group of men was outside and they were stirring them up for some great action, I knew not what. Then, they each took a torch and entered your family's farmyard. I saw them drag your family out, all of them. They beat your father until he stopped struggling, and your brother kept fighting on even though he was just a little boy. Your Mother…she stopped struggling once your Father and brother fell, and I could see her leaning over them, wailing." She stopped and sobbed as her eyes filled with tears again. I had been unable to see for the last half of her story because of the unshed tears in my own eyes, and my knuckles were white from my grip on the bench. In a corner of my mind, I was surprised that it had not yet broken, but I looked back up at her as she continued.

"My husband himself killed Feng—I know not who killed the others, and afterwards they threw the bodies back in the house and set it aflame. Then each man spread out and did what you see now to the rest of the property.

Mulan, you must leave town immediately. I know they intend to harm you and the word is already spreading that you have returned. If I can help you in any way to pay for the actions they took against your family, ask and I will do it if it is in my power."

She hesitated, perhaps realizing my anger but carried on in desperation. "I know you have a right to vengeance for this, but please spare my sons!"

She kneeled down in the dirt, and placed my hands on her head. Her honesty touched me, and I knew I could not blame her for the men's actions. But even so, it was not in my heart to forgive her or them. I rose to leave, and turned to say goodbye, "When they ask if you saw me, tell them I went north to fight the Huns again in hope of finding solace in war. Thank you for telling me what happened."

She looked up at me asking, "And of my family? Will you spare them?"

I turned back towards her, halfway out of the garden already in my haste to leave the place. "If chance spares them, so will I. Pray to your ancestors that I do not meet them on my way out of town, for if I see them, the last thing they see will be my sword, the sword of Shan Yu, killing them."

She nodded and rushed to her family's temple to pray. I returned to my former home, and glanced around the grounds for the last time. If I left now, I knew I would never return, but with the loss of my family, nothing was left for me here. I gathered the few stones from the riverbed that I could, and in the corner of the farm I built a shrine to them, tying the scarf of Shan Yu that was to have been my Father's new banner to a post and raising it as a flag in the center. Kneeling down I prayed for a safe journey to the afterlife for Father, Mother, and Feng. Collecting my things and my horse, I mounted and turned again toward the setting sun and rode out of my village. There was nothing left for me in China, but perhaps there would be something left for me in the barbaric lands to the west.


	2. Chapter 2: A Timely Meeting

**Disclaimer: So I don't own any OUaT characters, but I'd like to! **

**Also, if you think I'm doing something really cool, or you just think its crap (oh heavens no she is ruining that character!) whatever send me a message or review—I'd love to hear from any of you! Thanks for reading!—Adria**

**Also I just edited these today, but I hope to get up a chapter every few days—EXCEPT during breaks or finals. **

Chapter 2: A Timely Meeting

If I were being honest with myself, I wanted to meet Bao Yu's sons on my way out of town. They deserved to die for the murder of my family, and if I had seen them, either they or I would have died that day, but I saw no one on my way out of the village. Not a single child, woman, or man was outside, and as I rode away, the usually busy village was silent. I resumed my disguise on my journey—no need to be attacked for being a woman—and I began my long journey west.

The burning sun was like nothing that I had ever seen not in India, not in Persia, and not even in Egypt. I skipped a stone across the Gulf of Aquaba, and watched it sink beneath the waves. Were it not a special day, I would already have left for cooler lands, but it has been three years to the day since my family died, and I have honored their memory on this day each year. My heart had grown sick of war after the last three years of fighting, so I was sitting on the water's edge praying for a sign from the ancestors. I'd been waiting for the last few hours, but nothing had happened—not even a fish jumping.

I was beginning to despair of a sign, and stood to leave, when I heard fighting. I looked around and saw to the north a single man assailed by five Saracen warriors. Without hesitation I drew my sword, put on my helmet, and ran toward the fight. By the time I got there, the man was down and the Saracens were dividing up the contents of his saddlebags. I ran the first man through before they even noticed my presence and spun dispatching the second. By this time, the others had rallied and all turned to face me; moments later they all charged. I tripped the leader and dispatched the man following right behind him. As I turned to dispatch the fifth, the leader knocked my legs out from under me causing me to drop my sword in my fall, but before he could dispatch me I rolled away and jumped to my feet. Turning to face the last two warriors, I tackled the leader, drew his knife and dispatched him; then I rolled to the side, gathered my sword, and finished off the last man.

I ran back to the fallen knight. He had light brown hair which even included a scruffy beard. It was far smaller than the beards I saw in Persia, but unlike my brethren he was not quite clean shaven, and it looked different to my eyes. His armor was made of linked circles of some metal, but he wore a plate of armor with a golden sun emblazoned on it over his chest and a ragged grey scarf around his neck. He must have been wounded on his side as I saw blood dripping from under his armored plate, so I lifted it off and cut one of the head scarves from a Saracen into pieces for bandages.

"Water, please. I beg you, just a mouthful of water for the heat," he moaned and I turned back round toward him. Grabbing a water flask from the Saracen whose scarf I had "appropriated" I poured some water ever so carefully into his mouth. "Thank you" he sighed and began to close his eyes.

"No!" I shook his arm, and he opened them again. "Keep awake. I can bandage your wound a little, but you lost much blood. If you fall asleep, I may never be able to wake you." He nodded.

"I understand, thank you. Who do I have to thank for my rescue?"

I thought to myself before answering; I could tell him the man's name I had been using off and on during my travels, but looking into his eyes, somehow I knew he could be trusted. After tying the knot for the bandage on his side, I took off my helmet. "Mulan, my name is Mulan." His eyes widened momentarily seeing that I was a woman, but he recovered—rather quickly I thought—and nodded his head.

"I see. Thank you, Mulan, I owe you my life, and I am in your debt. My name is Phillip…" He looked round before continuing, "and I should be fine on my own to get back to my camp if you must go."

I shook my head. "It would be better to remain together. I doubt you will be able to walk for at least two days, and there may be more of the Saracens nearby. Which direction is your camp? I am not so constrained in my travels that I cannot take you there."

He smiled and bowed his head. "As you wish. My soldiers and I are travelling northwest toward the Mediterranean Sea and the port Alexandria. I turned back to explore a cavern I saw along the way, and those men followed after me from there. " Smirking a little, he added, "and I outrode them too—even with their little Arabian horses. Had they not cut me off, they never would have caught up with me."

"I will travel with you to your camp. Let me go gather my supplies, then I will return to help you up." After collecting my things I returned and assisted him to mount. Initially he was reluctant to accept my help, but the wound must have been worse than it appeared because he was wincing and grabbing his side the whole time.

We travelled slowly, so it was dark before we reached his campsite. As we approached, the sentry called out, "Halt! Declare yourself, friend or foe?"

Phillip replied, "Hail Thomas, it is I, Phillip, and a friend!"

"Hail Prince Phillip! Welcome back, we were worried after you did not return by nightfall."

"I was attacked by Saracens and injured, but my friend here fought them off for me. Have the doctor meet me at my tent and have food brought for us."

"Yes my lord!" The sentry signaled for a guard to come over and relayed Phillip's instructions as we entered the camp.

On our way to his tent, I turned to Phillip. "Prince? Why did you not tell me, so I could show you the proper respect? Please, forgive my ignorance." I bowed my head to him as was customary when meeting royalty and I pulled back on my horse—riding slightly behind him now.

He smiled and replied "Hey, do not bow to me like that. As far as I am concerned we are equals, and well, I didn't want to tell you everything about me. At least not at once." He laughed, and for the first time in three years I smiled truly because of his reply. No one I had ever met had treated me with this much respect _knowing_ I was a woman. Throughout the ride, I had actually enjoyed his company, and after this, I knew that this was a place that I would not want to leave. We reached his tent and passed the reigns to waiting servants, then I helped him to dismount and supported him on my shoulders at we entered the tent.

As ordered, there was a doctor and food waiting for us. Phillip waved toward the food, "Please sit and eat, while Dr. Whale treats my injury." I sat and began to eat as the doctor removed both his armor and under shirt. I was unsure what much of the food was; perhaps Phillip would tell me before I left. Whale examined the bandage and surrounding area as I watched, curious about this strange culture's medicine. He pressed softly on the wound and glanced under the bandage—seeing the reddened wound area and then stood up.

"My Prince, I have bad news. Your wound is inflamed and I will have to bleed you to relieve the tension. Without it you will overheat and die. I will ret—"

"No!" I burst out standing up. "If you bleed him he will surely die. The wound must be infected; with the proper herbs, I can make the inflammation go down _without _bleeding him."

Dr. Whale looked at me in shock. "Prince Phillip, who is this woman? And how does she claim to know anything about medicine? Herbs are poisonous, my lord. Any educated man knows this! Guard, take this woman out!"

This time it was Phillip's turn to say no. "Guard, stand down. Whale, this woman saved my life. If she says that herbs can heal my wound, I am willing to let her try." He turned to me, "What will you need, Mulan?"

I turned to Whale, and listed off the supplies I needed. Many of the names were unfamiliar to him, but he recognized at least half of them, and I was confident that using those, I would be able to make a good poultice for the prince. I motioned for Phillip to lay back and took the bandage off completely revealing a deep gash in his side. It looked much worse in the fire-light than it had earlier in the day, most likely because of the journey to camp and the heat. I frowned slightly at the thought.

"That bad hmm?" Phillip said light heartedly. "Don't worry; I've had worse injuries in the war. Although, this is one of the worst…" He drifted off eyes glazing over a bit, and I shook him. He needed to keep his spirits up, so I decided to ask him some questions to keep his mind occupied.

"What war was that? Are you not from here then?" Whale entered and handed me the herbs as requested and I began to mix them with some water on one of the plates as Phillip replied. To my displeasure, Whale watched me constantly over my shoulder as I worked.

"My country, Ireland was called upon by our sister nation England to send soldiers to fight in a great Crusade to take back our holy land. A few weeks ago, we took back the capitol and won victory, but before going home, I decided to explore the area for a bit." He shrugged "A bit foolish of me I gather, as there is nothing here but sand. But I promised my sister to learn as much about these areas as I could, so that when I returned I could tell her of them." He smiled softly, and I could tell he was thinking of her.

I finished mixing the ingredients into a paste and received some new bandages from Whale. "Prince Phillip, I need to put this in your wound. It will cool it and reduce the swelling eventually helping it heal, but be warned it will sting." He nodded and grabbed a goblet of wine, draining it down in a single gulp.

"Continue then, I am as ready as I will ever be."

I lifted up the plate and poured half of my mixture onto his wound. He gasped but made no other sound, and I knew he was struggling with the pain. "Tell me more about your sister. If she wanted so badly to see this land, why did she not come herself?"

He smiled and continued. "My sister? Leave Ireland? My father would never allow it. As the future queen of our land she is constantly beset with suitors and spends all her time preparing to learn how to rule. When we were younger, though, she was my constant companion. We slew dragons, saved princesses, and explored strange lands together. In all my travels, I have never met someone who was so curious about the world as she is, but," he paused and shook his head smiling broadly, "she is the most stubborn person I have ever met as well. When Father told her she had to stay behind, she said nothing–surprising us all. Instead, the next morning I found her on my ship and had to put her back on shore. Some of my men still have scars from where she kicked them." He burst out in laughter, stopping suddenly as his chest pained him, but he kept smiling.

As I wrapped up the wound again I was saddened even to hear his story. From his treatment of me, I had hoped his land was more accepting, but it seemed it was not the case. Remembering my own childhood, I knew how hard it was to be trapped by such a life, and even without having met his sister, I felt pity for her and wanted to learn more. Now was not a good time, however, as Phillip needed his rest now, and when he mentioned his sister's attempt to stowaway Whale had grimaced, so I figured he was one of those still scarred. Picturing him being knocked down by a girl my mouth twitched as I tried to suppress a smile. I stood and Phillip tried to get up also. "Prince Phillip, you must rest, and you should remain lying down for the rest of the night." He nodded, and motioned for the guard to come over.

"Prepare a tent for my friend, and ensure she has anything she needs for the night." The guard nodded and motioned for me to follow him. "And Mulan? Drop the prince—I don't need to be titled by you as well as everyone else." Nodding, I left, hearing Phillip dismissing Whale also. Whale rushed out of the tent shoving me out of his way as he passed—not even turning to apologize.

Undoubtedly I had made an enemy that night, but I was unsure why. If he had truly cared about the prince, who healed him should not have mattered, so I resolved to keep an eye on him in the future. As I had learned to my own detriment, angry men were not to be trusted. I followed the guard to the tent and collapsed inside, too tired to even remove my armor. Before I drifted off to sleep, my last thoughts were of Phillip's sister. I hoped he would talk about her more in the morning, and, strangely, I hoped she had found some way around the fate her parents were going to force her into.

The next morning I rose with the sun and walked to Phillip's tent to check on him, but he was standing giving directions to his men to my surprise. They were packing up the tents and preparing to move out.

"Mulan!" he shouted and began to run, but thinking better of it instead he walked over and embraced me. The act surprised me; not in my land or in any other land I'd visited had men been this familiar with women they were not married to. On the other hand, he seemed like a brother to me already with his kind actions, so I returned the gesture.

"We have received word that our ship has arrived at port less than a day's journey away, and we are preparing to return home! It is truly a joyous time."

I smiled, but was unable to return his enthusiasm. It was unfair of the ancestors to send me people like these and then to take them away this suddenly. I had looked forward to many adventures in this land with Phillip, but now I would have to continue my journey alone. Trying to hide my disappointment, I gave Phillip a travelling blessing. Bowing to him, I said "May your ancestors guide and protect your journeys and bring you honor and adventure in your travels."

Phillip's face fell. "Are you not coming with us? You would hold a place of honor in my family, and I yet owe you my life twice over." He glanced down at his side. "See? Well no, you don't, but my side is much better—nearly healed. I would be honored if you would journey home with us to Ireland, and" he smirked here running his hand through his hair, "I'm sure our ancestors will grant us many adventures on our way home. Will you join us?"

He gave me a puppy-dog face just like Feng's, and I looked down trying to prevent my emotions from showing on my face. The last things I wanted Phillip to see were my tears. I forced a smile on my face, which was surprisingly easy as I actually wanted to go to Ireland with him. "It would be an honor to travel to Ir-ehl-and with you." I struggled with the name, and he laughed.

"She agreed!" He cried raising his sword arm above his head in a fist. The men all cheered, and I looked at him with curiosity. "Do you not know? The men are all excited to see the great Asian warrior who saved their prince, and they are delighted to have her travelling with them." He leaned in conspiratorially and whispered "They think you bring good luck!" then leaned back and grinned.

The look on my face so reminded me of Feng, that I thought if he had been born after Feng's death he would surely be a reincarnation of him. Perhaps their spirits were brothers in a former life. "If I travel with you, you must promise me something," I stated, not about to enter a strange land unprepared.

"Anything you desire will be yours, Mulan. Within reasonable limits of course." He paused for effect, "My Father would never forgive me if I promised away half his kingdom." His men laughed and began to talk of some foolish Queen and I heard some long name beginning with 'R,' but I did not understand how that was funny.

"Would you tell me more of this Ir-ehl-and and your customs? Your family, this war, and your travels. Is that acceptable?" I hoped he would say yes, as I wanted to hear more of his sister. I didn't even know her name yet, but I wanted to know all I could. Back home, a person would never give such information up to a near stranger, but he had said anything… yet by his jest, he didn't seem to mean it.

He tossed his head back and laughed at such a simple request. "Of course, Mulan! I would be happy to tell you anything you could possibly ask. Perhaps you can even match my sister for curiosity, eh?" A soldier brought us both goblets of wine, and he raised his toward the sun. "To the best and most honorable journey home!" We drank the wine together, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we stood there watching the men dismantle the tents in preparation for our journey to his home.


	3. Chapter 3: Travelling Adventures

**Disclaimer: So again, I don't own anything. :( I do want one of Mulan's hair clips though…**

**A.N.: Please, please tell me what you think about it, even if you don't like it. Feedback of any kind is welcome.**

Our journey to the port town was, for the most part, uneventful. I had the opportunity to see Phillip interact with his men more, and while he was still the boyish man of yesterday, I saw that his men had great respect for him. Everywhere we walked in the camp or rode during the journey, he was greeted swiftly and all attention was given to his words—not so however to all of the rest of his entourage. I was treated well as the "lucky" new member, but others were ignored and Whale especially was treated poorly. He was openly mocked when Phillip was out of hearing range, and I knew that the man could hear their jeers, so his inaction surprised me. Were I the one being insulted—large group of men or not—I would have ensured that their opinion was…rectified.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the journey to the small port where his ship was waiting for us. I spent most of the day alone, as Phillip needed to ride back and forth to ensure all was well with his men, and after a few such rounds, I was happy to ride alone while waiting for him. When we reached the city, though, he brought his horse alongside mine.

"The men are going to camp outside the town tonight so we do not disturb the citizenry, but we have rooms in the inn waiting for us. Would you like to see the ship before we settle down?" I nodded, happy to see his vessel and a little curious—so far all my journeys had been over land, so we rode off down the dusty streets just as the sun began to set.

"There she is! _The Morning Star_. I wanted to name her the 'Rising Sun,' but Father said we already had one of those in the family, and it was _not_ my ship, so I settled for 'Morning Star' instead." He smiled softly, as he seemed to do often, at whatever memory he was thinking of now. I had no idea what the prince had meant, but before I could ask, he turned to me and asked if I would like to meet the captain, and we dismounted to do so. Phillip called up to the ship, and moments later, a dashing, dark-haired man leapt over the side and ran down the loading plank towards us.

His eyes were outlined with a dark substance making him look serious, but the twinkle in his eyes, his smirk, and the piercings on his face gave him the air of a prankster. _Womanizer_ my mind filled in as I noted perhaps his most distinguishing characteristic—the replacement of his right hand with a hook.

Phillip shook hand/hook with the man and waved towards me. "Captain, this is Mulan. She saved my life and will be travelling with us to Ireland." Turning back towards me he continued, "Mulan, this is Captain-"

"Jones. Killian Jones. Always at the service of such a _beautiful _woman." The Captain bowed while reaching out to take my hand which I snatched away. At this his smirk grew even wider if that were possible. "Although, by your refusal of my attention, perhaps you have heard of me under my more colorful moniker—Hook."

At the mention of this name, I turned to Phillip disappointedly. I had heard of this man and not to his credit. The tales of him I heard in towns, especially in India, were especially clear on his cruelty and swift "justice." To Phillip I queried, "You travel with a pirate? A man without honor? How can you trust your life, no, your men's lives in this man's hands…hand." I had more to say, but Hook interrupted here.

"We prefer 'privateer,' if you please, _oh honorable one_." The sneering tone with which he said those last words confused me, and it would have resulted in blows had Phillip not restrained me. Hook continued unfazed. "And with the state of the Spanish Armada, you are safest on my vessel, I assure you." He turned to Phillip and continued, "Are there further matters to attend tonight? If not I have a ship that needs preparation." Phillip shook his head, and the dark man returned to the ship as we rode back towards the inn.

For a few moments, we rode in silence until Phillip spoke. His tone was commanding, yet I could tell he wanted me to understand his choice of captain. "Mulan, there are things you need to know about my land before we travel. England, and by connection Ireland, is at war with Spain. Queen Cora and her daughter command a vast fleet of ships, the Armada, that attack every vessel they catch in their waters. Privateers like Jones are the only reason any ship gets in or out of England. And furthermore, while he may be less honorable than others, I trust him with my life. There is no better man to captain the Morning Star than he is."

I responded, still dubious about the captain despite Phillip's words. "But how can you be sure that he will not cave if we face the Armada? I met pirates like him in India, and the tales told of Hook were far worse than most. Are you certain he is to be trusted?"

Phillip looked pensive but replied with confidence. "I am. The leader of Cora's fleet is a man named Rumplestiltskin, and he murdered Jones' wife and took his hand before casting him into the water for the sharks. He managed to survive and has since vowed vengeance against Rumplestiltskin. He has taken more Spanish vessels than any other two privateers; King James of England has honored him many times for valiant action in combat. He _will_ be captain for this voyage, Mulan.

Despite his points, I would still have argued further, but the set of his jaw indicated that there was no more to be said. We travelled the rest of the way only discussing weaponry which returned us both to good spirits by the time we reached the in. After stabling our horses we went to our rooms without further discussion on the topic and went to sleep.

Next morning, I rode down to the ship and stowed my gear in the hold and found my cabin. Then I met Hook and Phillip in the Captain's cabin where they were looking over a map. Hook pointed to the southeastern corner of the Mediterranean saying, "This is where we are now, and here" he moved his hook to a narrow strait at the other end of the sea, "is where the Armada is likely to attack us. We have to be ready for them by the time we reach this point. After we pass through the strait, we can head out to open ocean if we have to, but it should be clear sailing the rest of the way to Dublin." He looked to Phillip for confirmation of his plan.

Phillip looked pensive as he asked, "Captain, is there any way to pass through the strait without fighting? Maybe we could sail through at night? The men are so battle-weary already, I hate to ask them to face death just to get home."

Hook shook his head nearly instantly at the suggestion. "The passage is so treacherous that I would not attempt it in the dark, and even if we did so, we might still have to fight the Spanish, which I would prefer to do in the light of day. We should reach the strait in about a week, so the men can rest for a few days, but by the fourth or fifth day we will need round the clock shifts ready to fend off an attack." He looked at Phillip again who reluctantly approved. "I will give the order to weigh anchor then." Bowing to us both, Hook left the room and could be heard outside giving orders to make way.

Five days later I found myself leaning over the rail at the bow of the ship waiting for the sun to rise. It had quickly become my favorite spot on the ship as I loved the calm and seeing the waves break against the vessel. Nothing could compare to the smell of the salty air or the kiss of the wind as it blew through my hair. I'd found that this spot was perfect for meditating and even for my calisthenics workout. I'd tried it once in my cabin and had nearly ended up with a large bruise covering my head when I nearly hit the ceiling while trying to do backflips. On the most part, I was left alone here, but occasionally the men asked me questions, and a few times Hook and Phillip had joined me. As I meditated on the bow, my mind drifted back to those conversations…

**Second day of travel: late afternoon**

I was getting ready to watch the sunset—the last few nights had been cloudy, so I was looking forward to finally seeing the sun set over the water at sea for the first time when Hook sauntered up. He looked me up and down before nodding and moving to the rail to look out at the sea towards the sun with me. Without turning his head he began to speak in a softer tone than I had ever heard him use either to Phillip or his crew. "You know darlin', I figured I'd seen you before when the prince introduced you, but I wasn't sure until a few days ago. Iv'e been thinking about the best way to ask this since then, but I'm not one for subtle, so I'll tell you right off. If you have a plan of backstabbing Phillip or some other sort of betrayal, I'll see you dead and feeding the sharks before you take another step. Now before you get all into it, I want you to explain to me what happened with you and those men in the bar in Dehli. I was there, you see, and I watched you walk in with them, talk a bit, get em drunk, and then help them upstairs. Next mornin' you were gone and they each had a matching skewered heart. So for someone who seems to prize honor, would you explain that to me, please?"

When he implied I would betray Phillip, I moved towards him slightly prompting his further explanation, and I was furious at his presumption, so when he finished I stood there glaring at him for a while. After he just waited watching the sun, I realized that he was only doing what I would do, _what I should have done_, when I had doubts about him. He was even giving me the chance to explain myself before bringing the matter to Phillip, and a premeditated murder as he had described was a matter not lightly brushed aside. As I realized this, I gained a new respect for the man, and I turned back towards the now setting sun.

"The men were the men who orchestrated the murder of my family. I had been tailing them for a few months, and knew that they had an enemy nearby, so I met them dressed as a man. They had no idea who I was, but agreed to have drinks anyways. I got them to reveal who they were to the crowd and then left. Truly, I did not kill them." Hook nodded but continued to look ahead.

"Well if you give me your word that's the honest truth of what happened and that you intend no ill towards Phillip. I'll believe you." He finally turned to look me in the eyes, and I knew that if I lied he would know.

"You have my word on both counts." He turned back towards the sunset which had now almost slipped past the horizon, leaving only the orange glow over the water. He seemed to have something more to say but was unsure how to begin. "Captain? Is there something more?"

He looked back at me this time twirling his mustache. "Call me Killian. Too many people call me Captain already…Do you feel better knowing they are dead? Are you satisfied?"

I looked back at the now blood red waves. "Nothing changed after their death, and no amount of pain I could have given them would have healed the pain they caused me by killing my family." I cautioned him reaching out for his arm. "You will never be satisfied by this quest for vengeance."

At my words, he pulled away and turned back towards the rest of the ship. As he went back to his cabin I heard him mutter, "It wouldn't matter anymore anyways."

**Fourth day of travel: mid-morning**

I had just finished my calisthenics and was stretching when Phillip approached me admiration in his eyes. I was happy to see him, as the activity had caused his wound to fester a bit, so he had been resting in his cabin for the last few days. He ran his hand through his hair and grinned while jokingly commenting on my pose, "If I bent my body in half like that, I think my legs might break. How do you manage?"

Looking up from my split position I tried to maintain my composure at the quizzical expression covering his face. "It just takes a bit of practice." I felt the devilish grin spread across my face as I asked, "Would you like me to show you how, Phillip?" He blushed crimson and backed away quickly as I sprung to my feet and stepped towards him.

"I actually think I am just fine in one piece thank you Mulan." I stopped advancing and returned to stretching. He was too easy to tease. He pulled himself together and sat down back against the rail. "I actually came to see if you wanted to hear more about home. I always feel better about missing them if I can speak to someone, and you said you wanted to hear. May I continue?" I nodded and, done with my stretching, mimicked his position on the opposing side of the bow.

"Well, I thought I'd describe my home first if you do not mind. Ireland is nothing like the land here. Green is all the eye can see, and the rolling hills are perfect to gallop through. The forests are silent but for the sound of the birds singing, and after it rains, you can smell the cleanness in the air. It is an island, but the water is rarely ever warm enough to swim in. That never mattered because the best thing to do near the water is listen to the waves crash on a cliff-side.

My father's castle is on top of a hill right next to the edge of a cliff. My sister and I used to climb down the sides to the bottom to look for treasures in the rock when we were little." He chuckled as he recounted further, "Once I slipped and fell into the water from a few feet up. She was so scared, but she climbed back down the wall as fast as she could and swam out to me, dress and all. Father banned us from returning after that though.

Below the castle and past the trees is a little village. We played with the children there often, and many of them still serve our family. The best food I ever had was served to me by a poor woman who had nearly nothing to spare, yet she fed me anyways. I think we convinced Father to make her a cook in our kitchen after that though. A few paths lead out of the village, mostly to larger towns or ports, but my favorite led right through the forest on the other side of the hill. I was in those woods so often that I could tell which deer had passed by that day just by their hoof-prints, and many of the animals would let me near them. My sister though, she had them eating out of her hand. She could sing and they would all come calling, looking for her." He paused and looked over at me to make sure I was listening. Seeing that he had my full attention, he continued.

"I suppose I should tell you more about my family too. My father is the king of our region, although he is still subject to King James of England. I am the second of two children and as such am not allowed to take the throne until my sister's death. She was the daughter of his first wife who died in childbirth. As the story goes, she saw my sister for the first time right as the sun rose, and so she named her Aurora. Father married my mother a few years later and I was born.

Aurora always grew up watching out for me, until I started trying to tell her what to do. She shut that down almost immediately. But she has always been there for me when I needed anything, and I trust her more even than I do Father. Nothing makes me sadder than that she is being forced to marry in order to preserve our position." My mouth dropped open at this statement and Phillip stopped for a moment. I understood arranged marriages for profit, but that was understood and usually agreeable to the girl.

"Please understand. Father is not a cruel man, but unless she marries a prince our kingdom will be given to my uncle, Lord Jefferson. He would treat our people cruelly and cast us upon the mercy of the poor. For my mother's sake alone, my father has to make sure this marriage goes through. I only hope they found a good man for her." His eyes misted over and I could see an almost tangible sorrow in his form. He rose and heading back to the cabins said, "I'm sorry Mulan, but I must return now." I knew he only left to hide the tears that no loving brother should have been ashamed to shed.

I looked back towards the horizon as my memories came to an end. Phillip had not described his sister's looks, but if she was as beautiful as the sun she was named for then she must be truly stunning. A smudge caught my eye, and I looked closer before stumbling back and dashing to the Captain's cabin. There was a flag on the horizon.

A few hours later found all of the men armed and on deck. The ship was primed and ready—ammunition near every cannon, and the wheels greased so they could be easily aimed. Killian stood beside me and scanned the horizon again. Three ships were now close by and what he said was the Spanish flag was flying on the mast of all three. Luckily for us, they appeared to be small, about 50 cannons each, while our vessel had 125. Killian looked down at me and smiled. "You know, if we are lucky we might even make it through. Are you ready to prove that you bring such luck?" He jostled me in the shoulder jokingly as he finished.

"As I told you before, I am not lucky! The men just think I am bec-"

He interjected, as the man often did, "Just go with it Mulan. Today especially the men will need something to hang on to. Look, you can tell they are scared stiff." He was right, sadly, so I resigned myself to being their "good luck charm" as Phillip had called me at dinner once. The prince himself joined us right as the captain began barking orders to the men for the fight. The ships were almost in range, and Hook was not about to lose any time.

Canon fire broke out with a thunderous crash, and I could see that the front runner of the three had taken most of it. The decks were shredded and it began almost instantly to keel over to one side. The others started to spread around us, trapping us in a pincer motion. Both sides were able to get off one more round before those two and our ship collided and the boarding parties began to climb aboard. The last things I was able to notice before I charged into the fray was the sinking vessel at our bow, the lurch of _The Morning Star_ as the canons fired into the vessel, and Phillip charging into battle beside me.

The next few minutes are all a blur. I remember blocking, striking, and dodging the invading men often with Phillip at my back but occasionally alongside Killian as well. The clouds of smoke from the canons made the deck nearly impossible to see, and often we found ourselves about to attack one of the crew. While I had thought that Hook would be impaired because of his hand, he fought well—using the hook as a weapon for grabbing the enemy, and I was glad to fight with him. Soon it became apparent that we would not be giving up and at the sound of a horn, the boarding crews left the vessel. At this a great cheer went up from the crew, but I could tell Hook was less pleased at their departure.

The third vessel was nearly finished, and I could see many men in lifeboats rowing madly for one of the other vessels. Just as their bow began to lift, I saw a two women fighting with the last group on board. They broke free and dove off the edge just as a huge crack was heard and the deck of the ship exploded. The women began swimming towards the ship, but I could see that the smaller one was having trouble. I discarded my sword and dove into the water off the bow of _The Morning Star_ while yelling "Man overboard!"

I reached the two just as the smaller one went under. Diving down, the other woman and I pulled her back to the surface and swam towards the ship. The woman looked at me yelling, "We have to hurry! She was hit by shrapnel, and I think it's pretty bad!"

Ropes were waiting to haul us aboard once we reached the side, and tying them to the now unconscious woman we climbed up as they pulled her to the deck. Once we got there Phillip looked at the bigger woman and jumped back swiftly dropping to his knee. "Princess Emma! What were you doing aboard their vessel?" The taller woman looked at him and wiping her wet, blonde hair out of her face motioned to the dark haired form on the deck.

"I was taken captive a fortnight ago, while on a diplomatic mission. She freed me from the cell and saved my life, so I am asking you to do what you can to help her." At this time, Whale ran up and looked at her back before softly turning her over. When her face was revealed a gasp went out from the battle hardened men. I looked to Phillip questioningly. Why should a woman with nothing strange but the small scar marring her upper lip elicit such a reaction?

Before I could ask, Hook strode forward drawing his sword and placing it at the unconscious woman's throat. Princess Emma rushed forward and tried to shove him away, but he stood his ground. He looked at her with gleaming eyes daring her to stop him, "I will not allow the daughter of Cora to live on my ship!" realizing what he was about to do I lunged forward and caught his sword as it descended on my dagger.

As he looked at my shaking head, his eyes softened and he stalked away towards his cabin. Princess Emma turned to me as Phillip motioned for the men to pick up Cora's daughter. "Thank you for saving Regina. She is not as they think, and I promise I will not forget what you did here today." She quickly followed Phillip, Whale, and the men as they took the woman to the infirmary. As Hook glared at me from behind the wheel, I knew that she would not be the only one who remembered today.

As Killian had predicted, the rest of our journey was uneventful. Princess Emma had stayed at Regina's bedside for most of the time, and the captain actively avoided me now, so I was still alone as before. Phillip came and talked to me more often, but he had not mentioned his sister since that first day. _Well, today is the day we arrive in Dublin, so soon I will get to see what she is really like. _It shocked me how much I wanted to hear more of her even from Phillip's words. I had never been this curious about another person before, so I was glad that our journey was nearly at its end.

The harbor was packed with people. They lined the docks and the streets all of them cheering and waving at us as our ship slid into its place. The men made her secure in what must have been record time, and as soon as the loading plank had been lowered, as a girl in purple darted up the plank and launched herself into Phillip's arms. After the embrace he set the girl, down and motioned towards me. When she turned and I saw her face my heart became lighter than air, and I knew, I had never seen anything so beautiful as her face in my entire life.


	4. Chapter 4: Finally at Home

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned herein despite all wishes to the contrary.**

The girl looked around confusedly, carefully scrutinizing each face as she scanned the ship. When she had looked at everyone onboard, she turned back to Phillip and looked even more lost.

"Brother, your messenger spoke of a great warrior who saved your life, yet I see no such person on your vessel. Has he already disembarked? I came early so that I could show my gratitude to this man for saving the person who is nearest to my heart." She smiled sweetly to him as she said this gesturing to the inhabitants of the ship as well.

I had never heard a voice like hers, and the difference between her manner of speaking and her brother's surprised me. While he spoke using similar words and with the same self-confidence, his words were more defined than hers were. She pronounced things differently, and I found the new accent strange.

Phillip took his sister's hand and extended the other towards me. "Sister, this is Mulan, the warrior who saved my life. We fought many battles together."

"You're…you're a girl?" She turned back to Phillip in shock, fully ignoring me. "You fought many battles with a girl?"

I could not take her continued dismissal of me, and despite the impropriety of interrupting her I could no longer contain my words. I cut in, "Woman." I would perhaps have said more, but her beauty was so overwhelming, I was surprised that I had even choked that one word out. Her head snapped back to me at my response, but her face relaxed a bit after Phillip's hand reached around her shoulders as he pulled her into a sideways hug.

"Mulan, as I assume you've figured out, this is my _rather outspoken_ sister, Aurora." Both she and he grinned at this and she teasingly pushed his head to the side before she spoke to me again.

She approached me and curtseyed, lifting her purple skirts up from the deck as she did so. Smiling brightly, the princess laughed and it sounded like the most beautiful songbirds of the forest were collaborating in song with a choir of bells. "Please forgive my words, Mulan. I was simply unprepared to discover a woman warrior on my brother's ship. He has, of course, invited you to our castle?"

If her face had not already shocked me into virtual silence, her laugh would have completely stolen my very breath away. The princess tapped her foot on the deck as she waited for my response, and her eyebrows went steadily higher at each moment that passed without an answer. Drawing a deep breath in, I tried, unsuccessfully, to calm my beating heart, and began to reply. "Indeed he…um I think…He mentioned…I don't…" Reaching my head around the princess, I glanced pleadingly at the bemused prince, and taking my queue he stepped forward.

"Of course I invited her to visit, Aurora. Did you think I would forget my manners that far?"

"Well, it has happened before…" She smirked and hopped out of the way as he playfully swatted her shoulder with his gloved hand. "Phillip! I was kidding! … a little. Well, I should probably return to the inn; my maid doesn't know I've left yet. See you this afternoon?"

"We will leave as soon as possible, sister. Thank you for meeting me here. I…I missed you." I turned away as Phillip and Aurora hugged again before she disembarked. Despite them just being siblings, I felt intrusive—after all it had been a more than a year since they had met, and they had had to share the moment with me.

I was tapped on the shoulder and turned to find the princess once more close to me, and was shocked motionless when she swooped in and gave me a quick hug. Still speechless, I could only stare, maintaining an indifferent expression as she said goodbye to me.

"Words will never adequately describe how grateful I am that you brought Phillip back to us. I hope that you will pardon my words from earlier and that we can be friends?" The pleading expression in her eyes begged for me to give a positive response, and I mustered all the strength I had.

"As you wish, Princess," was all I could muster, but she smiled at me, considering my answer sufficient and spun away, auburn hair floating in the sea breeze as she once more dashed down the gangplank.

Phillip renewed giving the men orders with alacrity, practically tripping along the deck in his frenzy as he rushed to ensure that the ship unloaded quickly. I was still frozen in place, watching the last street corner where the princess had turned to pass out of my sight. Instead of being allowed to dwell on this, I noticed Princess Emma and Regina slowly walking towards me. Regina had yet to completely heal, and was supporting most of her weight on the curly haired blonde by wrapping her arm around her shoulders. Surprisingly, the blonde did not seem to mind, and both women appeared happy as they approached me to say goodbye.

"The princess tells me that I have you to thank for my life. I know it is a debt I can never repay, but before we left, I wished to thank you, and tell you if there is anything I can do for you in the future…"

Emma cut in before the other could finish. "If you ever need anything, come to us in England, and I will do all in my power to get it for you. I also owe you an un-repayable debt for saving Regina's life." The blonde hesitated, voice dropping an octave as she attempted to maintain her composure. "Nothing you could ask would be too high a price for what you have done."

I was shocked by the honesty and concern I heard in her voice and tried to minimize my contribution as I replied, "Many thanks for your kind offers, but truly I did nothing but what was honorable and right. Anyone would have done—"

"Cut the crap Mulan. If you hadn't jumped in, Regina would be dead now. Please don't pretend otherwise. Now we have to go and book passage back to England. Remember if you need a_nything…_" After this, the princess and her fiend both offered me their hands and then slowly made their way down the gangplank towards a waiting carriage. I could swear I saw Regina whisper something in Emma's ear that made her flush bright red, but before I could tell, they were whisked away down the street.

I spent the next hour or so leaning over the railing and watching the people in the harbor town. Every so often I would see a carriage careening around the corner, nearly spilling out its passengers as it rushed along the harbor. Why the inhabitants were in such a hurry was beyond me, but these people were strange to me. The women in particular seemed far more promiscuous than those I knew. They wore much lower cut dresses than I had even seen—even princess Aurora had worn such a low-cut dress—and most of the women I saw were calling out at the men with such language that even the sailors of _The Morning Star _cringed. The streets themselves were much worse than I expected. While cobbled, they were filthy, and mud seeped through the stones everywhere making them appear slippery and dangerous to travel on. I could not understand why matters like this were not repaired. Did the rulers not care about the state of their people?

My thoughts were interrupted by the approach of Killian, who proffered me my gear. "Your horse has been unloaded, Mulan, and Prince Phillip is ready to depart. May your journeys continue safely."

"Many thanks, Captain." I turned to go, but realizing I might never see the man again, I turned back around. "Where are you going to go now?"

"My usual command, _Milah_, is waiting for me on the other side of port, and I intend to go out in search of more Spanish ships to fight." He smirked, but I could see sorrow in his eyes as the man continued. "There is _always_ need for a good privateer."

"May your ship be ever victorious then, Killian." I offered him my hand as I readied to go, and he looked down at it, surprised, but he shook it anyways. I turned to go, but he stepped forwards once more catching my bag with his hook.

"Thank you for preventing me from killing the girl. Milah…She would not have been pleased to know I had become a murderer." He let go of me and gesturing towards the land wildly with his hook, continued. "Now get off my ship, oh honorable one! I have things to attend to."

This time as he said those words, there was no sneer involved, and I disembarked, looking around for Phillip. He was waiting for me holding the reins of both our horses, and alternating patting the noses of each. A half-filled bucket of carrots was nearby, and the guilty face on the prince indicated that he had been spoiling the horses. Pretending not to notice his expression, I started loading my gear into the saddle bags.

"So, are we to travel to your home today?"

"Indeed we are! Aurora is going to be waiting for us just outside of the town and then we are all going to ride to the castle together." I gave him a quizzical glance at this, not remembering the princess saying any such thing. "She sent a messenger with the details after visiting us. Also, she requests that we not mention it to Father. Apparently her betrothed does not wish her to travel anywhere alone."

He frowned and looked more pensive as he continued speaking, but we mounted soon after and galloped over the muddy streets away from the harbor and the _Morning Star_.

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We reached the edge of town after a few minutes of dodging expensively decorated carriages and hapless travelers on foot. I marveled further at the strangeness of the place as we passed through a suddenly clean and empty road. This portion of the town was calm, and I was confused again. If this was clean and safe, why was the rest so filthy? I was unable to question Phillip, however, as with a clear street, Phillip broke out into a gallop and threw his head back in pleasure as we raced down the street.

Aurora and her maid, a tall dark haired girl with green eyes that Phillip said was named Red, were waiting on horses when we passed out the city gates. Aurora was speaking quickly and the other girl kept interrupting, moving closer on her horse and waving her hands wildly as they spoke, but once they saw us, they stopped and greeted us. Phillip rode up to his sister and grinned.

"Are you ready to race home?"

She pouted and looked down at her saddle. "Really Phillip, how do you expect me to win riding side-saddle?" She gestured to her maid's horse saying, "Look even Red has a regular saddle, but Father insists I ride like this." He looked apologetic, and did not mention racing again—fully chastised already. As we began our journey, Phillip rode in the front with Aurora and Red and I followed behind. I could tell Phillip and his sister were exchanging stories about their time apart by the sword swinging gestures Phillip kept making. Aurora laughed every so often, and we continued our ride in this manner until we reached the forest.

While we were travelling through the dense woods, I saw Red stiffen and turn her head from side to side. I was confused by her actions until I heard branches breaking to our left, and I charged my horse forward as six figures ran out of the trees towards us. Phillip and I both drew our swords, and Red spurred her horse onward—away from the bandits, dragging a reluctant Aurora with her.

In only a few moments the highwaymen realized that we were more than a match for them, and ran dispersed back into the woods. Turning to check on Aurora, I noticed that both her and Red were missing, and with a cry of "Phillip" galloped forwards to where they had been seen last. On the way, both Phillip and I cried out for the two, until we reached a bend in the road, and saw Aurora brandishing a dagger at an unconscious bandit while Red stood over him with ropes.

Phillip immediately dismounted and assisted with tying up the man as I rode over to the princess. "Are you all-right, my lady?"

The purple clad girl straightened up and adjusted her feathered cloak as she glanced up to glare at me. "Did you think that I was some sort of princess that was completely helpless? I am perfectly all-right, and your concern is completely unnecessary. I have enough people waiting on me hand at foot at home—please do not feel the need to do the same."

I leaned back in my saddle, stung by her rebuke. After all, I had only wished to ensure her safety. Taking on a bandit with only her maid was a dangerous undertaking, and she was lucky to be safe, but after she spoke, I bowed my head in acknowledgement and dismounted to assist Phillip.

After tying the highwayman up, we needed a way to bring him back to the castle, and Aurora offered us her horse. Phillip initially refused, but instead of listening to him, she just got on my horse and raised her eyebrows at him. Initially my horse, Argo, whinnied discontentedly, and I expected the princess to be thrown off, but with a few pats and murmurs in his ear, he calmed down. Muttering "stubborn," Phillip helped me tie the robber to the princess' horse, and fasten the reins to the back of his own horse. Once that was done, I prepared to run after the horses by re-strapping my sword behind me, but Aurora looked at me curiously.

"What are you doing? Surely you do not think you can keep up on foot?"

"But Princess, how else am I to continue to the castle if I do not run with you?" Her eyes rolled at my statement and she trotted over to me, backing the horse up so the side was right in front of me.

"Mulan, get on. The castle is not much further, and you can ride with me the rest of the way. Did you really think I would be so selfish as to force you to run?" Honestly, I had had no idea what she had intended, but I would have run happily if she had asked me to. And, as a princess and Phillip's sister, it was my duty to obey her commands.

I got up behind her as softly as possible and we all rode at an increased pace down the path towards the castle. Being on the same horse with the princess was more distracting than I'd thought it would be before I had gotten up behind her. Her hair smelled like roses and was constantly waving in my face as we rode. I was repeatedly tempted to brush it to one side, but I was worried that the motion would result in my hand brushing her creamy skin, and for some reason I did not trust myself with such an action.

As the ride went on I realized that my senses were hyper-aware, and I could feel each time the princess moved or adjusted on Argo. Her dress rustled against my knees, and in the places where my armor did not quite meet my gloves, the fabric was soft against my skin. I had to resist the urge to slide forward so that, as I told myself, I could have better control of the reins. After a few minutes of me awkwardly leaning back, Aurora scooted forward and, grabbing my arms one at a time, put the reins partly in my hands as she leaned forward over Argo's neck. Once in this position with her hair no longer in my face, I was able to relax a bit, and we continued on in that manner for the rest of the ride.

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Luckily for me, the rest of the ride was indeed short, and about half an hour later, we rode into the courtyard of the castle. It was decorated festively, doubtless in honor of Phillip's return and the impending wedding, with red carpet near the entrance and hangings from each window. Streamers went from windows to the battlements in places, and all the decorations combined together to make the castle look like it was lit up with many tiny lights from everything that6 was reflected from them.

A few guards ran up to us and they took the reins of all of the horses and roughly grabbed the shoulders of our unconscious prisoner. I dismounted first and offered my hand to the princess, but she had already jumped down on the other side. Turning to the guards, Aurora began giving orders as we walked on the red carpeting towards the entrance.

"See that the bandit is taken to a dungeon and fed. You, take Mulan and Phillip's things to the rooms made up for them. Make sure that the horses are well watered and groomed as well. Next, I wan-"

She was interrupted by a running messenger who burst out the door we were heading to and staggered towards us. He kneeled at the princess' feet and broke in. "Princess, your Father and guests are waiting inside to properly greet your brother. He requests that you immediately proceed to the great hall." Phillip looked sharply at Aurora and mouthed "Guests?"

"We will be right in. Thank you, Gus." As he left to inform her Father, we resumed our walk inside, and she turned to Phillip. "My betrothed and his mother have come to stay with us until the wedding. How _lucky_ for us, don't you think?" He hushed her at this outburst, but the sad look in his eyes told me that he agreed.

Right before we entered the hall, Red turned and, after being dismissed, hurried away to her room or next task. A guard was waiting at the humongous double doors leading to the great hall, and he bowed to us as we entered. The great hall was the most beautiful room I had ever seen. Stained glass windows extended on both sides from floor to ceiling and depicted various violent and peaceful scenes. Multiple chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and purple and red carpeting covered the entire floor. Tables were set out in rows on each side of us, and upon a raised dais, two thrones embellished in gold filigree and purple velvet looked down upon the hall.

At the base of the thrones, three people stood with their backs to us until they heard the doors and turned round to greet the arrivals. One of them, an older man in royal robes with greying blonde hair curling out at his neck, spread forth his arm at the sight of us and began to walk closer. Phillip ran towards him and caught him in what must have been a bone-crushing hug as he cried "Father!" joyfully. The other two, a woman with blonde hair and wrinkled skin wearing a blackish purple dress and many rings and a curly, dark-brown haired man, turned towards us. While Aurora was busy watching Phillip and their father, I saw the two exchange a smirk before rearranging their faces to display pleasant smiles.

After pulling out of the hug, Phillip gestured to me saying, "Father, this is Mulan. She saved my life multiple times on my way home. Mulan, this man is my Father, King Leopold." The king smiled at me and inclined his head.

"I am delighted to welcome any friend of my son's to my home, and you are especially welcome because of your assistance in bringing him back to us safely." He waved the other two forward presenting them with a proud and happy air to Phillip and me. "And these gracious guests are the beautiful Queen Maleficent and her brave son Prince August of Scotland. Our two kingdoms are on the verge of a happy union with the approaching marriage of my daughter, Princess Aurora, and Prince August. I am delighted that my son and his friend will be here for this happy occasion."

At this gracious introduction, both the prince and his mother bowed their heads slightly to us, and Phillip walked up and shook both of their hands warmly. I could see, though, that despite their smiling masks the two looked down on the jovial and sincere prince, and I began to worry even more about Aurora. What kind of man was this that she was engaged to marry?

The introductions over, King Leopold called for servants to show Phillip and me to our rooms, and as Aurora, Phillip, and I left, I saw him resume his discussion with the other two. As I followed the servant to my room, the actions of the royal pair continued to disturb me, and I contemplated ways to find out more about them. Once I reached my room, I removed my gloves and my dirty boots, feeling the luscious carpet between my toes. I walked over to the window and looked down at the courtyard below—my view was amazing, and beyond the courtyard I could see the sea and the sun setting behind the waves. Turning back around to the bed, I nearly jumped out of the window in shock as behind the curtain sitting in the middle of the bed, legs crossed, was the maid, Red. She stood and, grabbing a candle from one of the fixtures on the wall, walked up to me.

"Please put your boots back on and follow me, please. We need to talk, and this room is not safe."

Curious and confused, I obeyed her and followed her out of the room via a hidden panel in the walls that opened when she pressed on the stone below a candle holder near the bed. The darkness surrounded us as we entered the tunnel and the door snapped shut behind me.

**AN: I know chandeliers didn't exist back then and that Pinnochio is August's real name. August fit better in my head, and yes, in this he is Maleficent's son. Please try to think kindly of Leopold in this—he was the only king left who isn't purely evil.**

**Also please review! :) Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5: A Day in the Life

**Author's note: **This is part 1 of the first day that Mulan is guarding Aurora. That night will be the next chapter, hope you like it!

**Summary:** Mulan hears of possible treachery in the kingdom and decides to protect Aurora. The next day, she faces more difficulties than she would have liked when Aurora prefers not to be guarded.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters within, despite any wishes to the contrary.

Chapter 5: A Day in the Life

I followed Red down what seemed a maze of pathways, and every so often she would pause as other doors and pathways branched off of the corridor. She mentioned a few of them as she went, "That leads to Aurora's room, and this one leads to Phillip's. This leads to the kitchen and that to a door above the stables. Those lead to the west wing of guest rooms—Maleficent and August are staying there." After turning off into and walking to the end of another passage, she paused at the end of the hall and pressed a brick on the ceiling. A panel slid open and an older woman's voice rang out.

"Is that you, Red? Did you bring the girl?"

"It's me Gran! And yes, she's with me now. Can you let the ladder down?" Red called up at the voice, and moments later a rope ladder cascaded down upon them. Red nudged me, and motioned upwards. "Go ahead—I need to shut the panel after you."

I grabbed the first rung and began to climb. From the smooth, worn wood on the rungs, I could tell that this ladder was used often. As my arms began to burn, I looked up, yet still could not see the top of the ladder. A shift below me indicated that Red was now climbing as well, and determined not to appear weak, I soldiered onwards. Just moments later, my hand met a wooden trap-door as I reached upwards for the next rung, and I fumbled in the dark as I searched for the latch.

A woman pulled open the door and reached down to help me up. Her arms were much stronger than I expected for the older woman that she appeared to be, and the vibrancy in her eyes belied the grey of her hair. Gran, as Red had called her, stepped back towards the center of the room and I looked round. From the climb, I assumed that we were at the top of a tower, and as I looked round, I saw a few windows in the circular room by the torchlight. In the center of the room were a few mats which I assumed were for us to sit on.

Gran looked at me and smiled. "Well, here you are dear. Sorry about the climb, but we have to meet in the safest place we can, and very few people even know about the passages. Red found them when we came here and she was just a little thing." As she said this Red popped up and looked around, shutting the trap-door as she did so.

"Gran, where is Leroy?" Red asked as she noticed that there were only the three of them.

"He is meeting with Nova before he comes up. She mentioned to me earlier that she had some new information for us, and he should be here any minute now." Gran sat down on the mat in the front and Red grabbed my arm, pulling me down onto a mat next to her.

As we waited, she pointed towards Gran. "We're the unofficial guard, me and Gran are. I started it as a joke when Phillip brought me and Gran here. She's the cook you know—best food in Ireland." Gran smirked at this and wagged her finger my way.

"And don't you forget it either of you. Or else!" She looked at us with mock sternness and shook her finger sternly again.

Suddenly the door banged open and a bearded man climbed out. He pulled up the rope and slammed the trap door back down. I assumed this was Leroy, but he was shorter and scruffier than I had expected. He walked forward and threw himself down on a mat aggrievedly. "So eager to start, that you couldn't wait for me? Typical. And this is the person who's supposed to help us? Doesn't look like much to me."

"Leroy! Be polite. She saved Phillip multiple times, so I'm sure she can help us. Now, what did Nova say?" Red snapped right back at the short man. He smirked before replying, and as he did so his face became serious.

"Things are getting worse. Nova says another barmaid is missing, and before she went missing she said she was pregnant too. That's the third person so far, and I know for a fact that she was 'visited' by August about two months before. I was in the bar and he tried to shield his face while he flirted with her, but I recognized the voice. I assume it's the same story with the others too."

I looked over at Red, confused, and she motioned to Gran to talk. Gran stood up and moved in front of us, and all of us fell silent to listen to her explain.

"Two things started happening in the last few months. The first you heard part of from Leroy; for the past sixish months, girls have been going missing and most of them were just barely pregnant at the time. The first one disappeared from here. The day before, she told me that she was pregnant and she asked me for advice on what to do. I told her to tell the father and at this she got very nervous and would not say who it was. The next day she was gone.

I fear the father was August as the in the days after he arrived, I saw them laughing together. At the time, I thought he was just being polite, but after she disappeared I began to wonder. Since then a girl has disappeared from a pub about once a month. We suspect that August is responsible and the father of each of the multiple unborn children, but we have no proof other than testimonies like Leroy's here. And none of it is enough to prove anything.

The more serious concern however is that of the letters. For the last three months exactly Aurora has been receiving threatening letters. Most of them were poorly written and make little sense, but we think there is a real danger here. Primarily the reason for this is that we don't know how the notes are getting in—they just appear here. Maleficent and August have the King and Aurora convinced that they are pranks, but we think otherwise. Strange men have been seen in the village, and people disappear in the woods. No matter how hard we try though, Aurora will not be convinced to take precautions.

That's where you come in, Mulan. We need you to go where we cannot and watch Aurora for us. Wherever she goes for the next few days we want you to watch over her—from the shadows if you have to, but she must have constant protection. Can you do that for us?"

I listened to her tale as Gran related the events that had come about in the recent months. When she finished, all heads turned towards me expecting an answer. I stood and walked to a window as I thought it over. The thought of Aurora being hurt or killed made my very blood boil, but with how I felt about her, I doubted that I could take proper care of her. I would be too distracted to focus on taking the necessary precautions or to keep my distance. But, I had to try.

Turning around, I faced the three waiting for my answer. "I'll do it. Wherever she goes, I will go. Whenever she meets someone, I will be there watching. And if ever someone hurts her, I will be there to make them pay. I swear to you, I will watch over her." They all looked at each other in astonishment at my firm declaration, and after a semi awkward silence Leroy jumped up.

"Well, that's good enough for me. Good luck, Mulan." He shook my hand and pulled me close whispering in my ear, "and if you fail, I swear I will hunt you down." Then he turned, opened the trapdoor, threw down the ladder, and climbed down.

Red stood up next and moved over to the ladder as well. "Mulan, you should come with me so I can show you the passages you will need." I got up and followed her to the ladder. Gran stopped me before I descended and gave me a hug.

"Good luck now, dear, and take care of the Princess for me. She breakfasts early before taking a walk in the garden." I nodded and descended the ladder behind Red. On our way back to my room, she showed me which bricks I needed to press to open each sliding door that she had mentioned earlier. She left me at my door and said goodnight. After she left I waited a few minutes for her to get away, and then I ran down the passageways alone to Aurora's room.

When I reached it I used the stone to open the sliding door, and I stepped into the Princess' room. At least, I would have if there were not a tapestry covering the entrance, so I struggled out and looked around. Like mine, the floor was completely carpeted, but this carpet was a light purple, and the tapestries on each wall were of many different flowers and seasons woven in vibrant colors that gleamed in the torchlight. To my left was her bed which was draped in soft hues of purple and silver, and I dodged as far away as I could when I saw her stretch her arm out. She rolled back over and as far as I could tell went back to sleep. Hiding behind one of the posts, I moved the satin draped over it and looked at Aurora. She was sleeping soundly once more, and as everything looked safe, I decided to leave for the night. I stepped back into the passageway, jogged to my room, and went to bed.

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I rose before the sun came up and ran downstairs to the kitchens where Gran met me at the door with a bowl of porridge. She sat me down on a bench as the cooks around us chopped vegetables and prepared food for the royal's breakfast. Bustling around Gran barked out orders to each of the cooks and brought me a mug of something hot. I smelled it and found it had a pungent, sharp smell, but it tasted good and I felt more awake after drinking it.

Suddenly Gran sat down opposite me and my breakfast almost slopped out of my bowl at the force of it. "You need to hurry, Mulan. Aurora rises with the sun and takes a walk by herself—she should be down here for her breakfast any minute." At this I began shoveling food into my mouth and my hurry was justified. I was only half finished when we heard singing from down the passageway and Gran waved me under the table. I dove below as she scooped my dishes into a huge basin of water.

The door opened softly right as the humming got louder, and I watched the princess' feet as she spun around the room greeting each cook by name and hugging them by the sounds of it. I pulled myself in as tightly as possible as her feet approached the table I was hiding under. I heard a squeal and Aurora's silver-toned voice. "Granny! How are you today? I missed seeing you yesterday."

"Good morning, dear! Don't you worry your pretty little head about me now, I'm doing just fine, like I have been for years. We did miss you yesterday though; was your journey all-right?" I heard Gran set a plate of something on the table, and she and Aurora sat down. From my position, I could see that today Aurora was wearing some very fancy embroidered boots and a dress of sky blue that just barely covered her ankles.

She sat and ate, all the time talking quickly to Gran. "So, I finally got my dress back from the dressmaker, and it is gorgeous! She embroidered lace around every hem, and diamonds are sewn into the front and the lace veil. Perhaps I can show you later?" she paused before continuing, and I assumed Gran had said yes. "Oh for the dinner, you must make stuffed pigeons! Last night they were delightful, oh! And you must dine with us, Granny! You are such an old friend and I view you as a mother."

"Bu..but—"

"No arguments! You're coming. I'll have a dress for you made as soon as possible. Thank you again for breakfast! I'll send the dressmaker to see you later." By this time she had finished her meal, and the princess stood up to head outside. Moments later, Gran kicked me under the table and I crawled out. She pointed towards the door, and I ran outside after the princess.

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She was not in sight when I got outside, but I heard her singing, and I followed the sound of her voice. Her song was about each flower and in it she greeted each by name as she cared for it—tending each flower as if it were a child, watering and weeding each area on her knees. When I first caught up to her, she was tending a rose and even though she had only been out there for a few minutes, I saw that her dress and the hem especially were already dirty. She stood up and walked to each flower around a little pond before moving to the next circular path. I watched all this from my position behind a tree, switching trees each time Aurora moved away.

Once all the flowers in the center of the garden had been tended to, Aurora turned and walked towards the trees. I followed, dodging and weaving as I went, but she began to move faster as we went. Eventually I lost sight of her and I began to run—keeping cover less important as I realized that she could be in danger. Suddenly, she stepped out in front of me and I fell backwards and caught myself on my hands as Aurora stood over me with her hands on her hips. Her eyes tore me apart as she stared down at me, and as much as I wanted to move closer to that beauty, I edged away from those angry eyes.

"Why on earth have you been following me? And don't think I didn't notice you at breakfast. Granny never listens so attentively when I talk and she _never _agrees to come to my wedding, and I have asked her every day since I was betrothed. So tell me and don't even think about lying to me or I swear I will call my guards down and have you dragged down into the darkest dungeon I can find. Why are you here Mulan?" She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for my answer.

Her eyes bored into mine, and I was left speechless as I lost myself gazing into her deep blue eyes. I saw whole worlds there as I stuttered trying to answer her, and lying never even occurred to me. "I… I was following you?"

"Yes, I gathered that. _Why_ are you following me though? Or can you not talk right? Phillip never mentioned that…" She mused and bit the tip of her finger as she cocked her head to the side. I was again almost made speechless from her actions.

"Princess, I can talk just fine, thank you! I uh I heard about the letters you've been getting and I decided to watch over you—protect you as sort of a private bodyguard." I decided not to sell out my co-guardians to the Princess. It wasn't a lie persay, so I hoped she would not notice my deceit.

"That old thing? Really? Again, I do not need anyone to protect me, so you can just go back to your room and do whatever it is you do. Make some fancy armor or write a poem, that's what your people do right? Go on, get out of here." She waved her hands at me as if to sweep me away and then she turned on her heel and stormed away.

I stood up and followed her, pace for pace as she sailed regally away. We arrived at the gate before she turned around and glared at me again. "Must you?"

"I said I would protect you, and that means yes, I will follow you."

"Fine, then if you insist. I am going to go riding now if you plan on coming." She turned her head to the side as she spoke this and her face fell in shock. I spun and jumped in front of her searching for whatever had caused her fear. Though I searched for nearly a minute, I saw nothing, and I turned around to face the princess. She was gone, passed through the gate, leaving it shut behind her. I tried it and found it locked.

I was furious. How dare she trick me like that? I ran inside the castle, through the kitchen, down the courtyard, and out the main gate—just in time to see Aurora riding away towards the woods. I dashed into the stable and saw Leroy holding my horse's reins out to me with a sympathetic look on his face. I mounted Argo in a single leap and galloped after her into the forest.

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She reached the trees long before I did, and using her superior knowledge of the area, she disappeared into the woods immediately. I followed the best I could using her hoof-prints, but if she were still travelling at the pace she started at, she could be long since out of the trees now. I continued on, trying my best to hurry but I made little headway and was forced to remain at my slow pace.

Suddenly I heard a terrible shriek and I knew it was Aurora. Digging my heels into my horse's side I began galloping towards the sound, ignoring the branches whipping my face and sides as I went. Luckily the voice was not terribly far in front of me and shortly I arrived in the clearing where the scream had originated. Aurora's horse was lying on the ground getting its throat ripped out by a large wolf, and she was shivering on the branch of a tree above them both.

I leapt off of Argo and, spinning in the air, landed between the tree and the wolf. It snarled at me, blood dripping freely from its jaws as it let go of the now dead horse's neck. Raising my sword, I stepped forward before it lunged at me, jaw snapping down on my blade as I raised it to attack. Its jaw clamped down fiercely on my sword and I kicked its powerful shoulder as I pulled it out and swung my sword at its head. The wolf lunged backwards and spun around, snarling more fiercely than before. It snapped upwards at the tree, in an almost taunting motion at the princess who screamed again. At this, rage filled me, and I jumped up, landing next to the wolf and slicing its head when I reached my feet.

As its body crumpled to the forest floor, I stood there, chest heaving, exhausted from tussling with it when I heard a little gasp and felt a dampness on my foot as my ankle gave way. Looking down I saw a chunk of my boot torn away and blood dripping from my ankle where the wolf had bit me before I had slain it. Aurora climbed down the tree and helped me wrap up the wound, then helped me to my feet.

She looked at me softly and the scorn I'd seen earlier was gone. "Thank you for your assistance, Mulan. I guess I do occasionally need someone's protection." Instead of replying, I just stared into my princess's eyes, and she flushed slightly before turning away and picking up the remains of her saddlebags. She placed them on Argo before swinging into the saddle herself. I got up behind her again, and we began to ride back towards the castle. As we rode, we began to talk, as friends.

"So do I get to be invited to your wedding as well, Princess?"

"Of course! As Phillip's friend you would have been most welcome, and now I invite you on my own behalf as well. OOOOH! You must have a dress made for you as well! Or would you prefer to wear your own traditional garb?"

"I fear I would be most uncomfortable in a dress like yours, Princess, but I have very little but the clothes on my back."

"Well, we must get you some more then! I'll send a dressmaker to you as well, and we can get you a complete new outfit. NO buts!" she continued fiercely as she heard my swift intake of breath at her last words. "They can make traditional garb for you if you tell them how."

"Thank you, Princess, your offer is most kind. May I ask you if you are more amenable to me being your bodyguard in future?"

"I suppose if you must but only if you agree to not be so serious. No more sneaking around, either. You can just join me in my walks and rides instead. And stop calling me, Princess. It makes me feel old…. Are you sure you have to guard me?"

"I swore to protect you and while I do not approve of your restrictions, I will keep that oath. What are your plans for the rest of the day, Pri—Aurora?"

"Much better, Mulan. And my plans? Don't you mean _our_ plans? We are going to get you all outfitted out, and then we are going to talk Phillip into bringing the girl from the next kingdom to the wedding (he's had a huge crush on her for years), and then we're going to get all bathed up, and then it will be dinnertime. You're coming to dinner tonight you know."

I sighed as we continued riding. This was going to be a long day.


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